The Evening of the Defense of Luminberg was an event celebrated in both merrymaking and in solemn commemoration. It was marked as the turning point of a struggle between the fledgling First Empire and the monsters that threatened to ravage it after it swept through settlements of the western end of the Delitian continent. It had been a hard-fought lesson for the weary elements of the armies that attempted to fight towering, murderous creatures with steel and bravery. It was there they found out that their blades and arrows were not enough to cut through the ranks of the inhuman horde. Months of constant battle led the Imperial Forces to a fighting withdrawal – with the monsters trailing behind them.

Though heavily weakened, they took refuge in the fortified city of Luminberg; a wall of energy shielded the men and the fortress city itself from the approaching enemy. Determined efforts from the Luminberg citadel's soldiers thinned the ferocious creatures from afar using arrows and magically-empowered projectiles. What made this feat possible was the magical force field whose existence was kept possible by the city's eight wall towers; the magicians could fire at the creatures without fear of retaliation. This led to the creation of a strategy that involved amassing pursuing monsters, only to be led to their collective death.

It was customary for Luminbergers to pay respects to the tower defenders that made the Age of Men possible. This led to many methods in confronting and quelling what was initially thought of as unbeatable foes. The Luminberg Defense celebration used to include a military parade that was meant to show the Empire's achievements in the field of war, but that was reduced to a display of First Empire customs and traditions years after the monsters were driven out of the realm for good. It was a lavish show of long-flowing dresses for women and leather or linen coats with the occasional armor plates worn over for the men. Male Luminbergers of the times had to be ready to soldier forth against the enemy that did not pick the time or place to fight; it was a necessity to have a layer of protection against creatures powerful of tooth and claw.

Music from string and brass instruments, the loud chatter of the citizenry and, the crackling of the many spits and bonfires placed around the city center created a loud, yet very busy environment. Smoke coming from roasting meat and kiln-baked bread made a pronounced scent that constantly reminded the celebrants of food that would be readied soon. Teardrop-shaped crystal lampposts were kept alight, but their glow mingled with the dancing red, orange and yellow plumes of nearby flames.

"Some festival you have here."

Rook stood out in the crowd after deciding to keep his black coat on. He often moved the straps of the hastily-worn breastplate downwards, but it took a few seconds before he felt the leathery edges go up to the middle of his rib cage again. He had been trailing behind Kirk, who in turn was following where Euphemia guided them. The cleric forgot to advise them of the holiday; having spent much of her time in the convent reading up on what she took from the Luminberg Library. Both men were under the canoness' mercy when it comes to Luminberg's affairs, having absolutely no knowledge of the city's environs. The only places that mattered to Kirk and Rook was where they can fill their stomachs when the regular fare at the inn was not enough. As with everything else, they had to rely on the canoness to go around.

Canoness Euphemia donned her regular dark-blue habit; the yellow and white sun of twelve rays took up most of the apron's face. Clerics in Luminberg were a rather rare sight, as most of the church's servants often stayed away from the citizenry, often cloistered behind convent walls. She was convinced that her attire was more than enough to be in the festive mood. Kirk and Rook were not so fortunate, as they had to buy what had to look like pieces of armor. Rook went for a breastplate and knee pads – the former of which proved to be an ill fit with the rest of his garments. Kirk settled for a yellowed cuirass with a pair of greaves; he decided to wear a remake of a First Empire broadsword to complete the appeal.

"This is one of the city's most well-known events, and also a reminder to be thankful that we did not have to go through what the first Luminbergers did centuries ago."

"So, how did it go back then?" Kirk's eyes shifted away from the cleric and to what seemed to be a leg of pork being cooked in a spit.

"It is a rather long story, Kirk." Euphemia noticed the swordsman's focus. "Do you prefer listening to it while you eat?"

"You got me... Sister. "

The crowd was growing; most of the people who were done dressing up for the evening emerged from the nearby neighborhoods. Rook was able to spot a table for three – he had to make a few long steps to get ahead of the others. Euphemia stopped for a few moments to catch a glimpse of Magister Demian Silbern speaking to a man in a green suit. She decided to draw closer to the city governor and managed to catch some parts of the conversation.

"I'm sure that this celebration will be far greater than anything Luminberg has done in a few or more years."

"We have you to thank for that, Mister Faricy."

"Certainly my pleasure to do business with the esteemed Demian Silbern of Luminberg." The man with the green attire took a bow. "If you'll excuse me, I have other arrangements to attend to. I will return to see the Wizards' Wall come to life after this."

"Make the best of your stay here in the city. We would love to have you as an honored guest."

Euphemia was about to go even nearer; a hand that tapped her shoulder stopped her in the attempt.

"You're surely missing out on the food." The cleric turned back to see Kirk smiling at her. "Something up?"

"I was... I saw the city governor and wanted to-" Euphemia turned to where Magister Silbern and the other man were; the crowd took them out of sight. "They're no longer around."

"You'll get to see them later surely. Besides, you're not planning to run from the bill, right?"

"Of course not." The cleric gave a slight head shake. "And I would need to order a new batch since you and Rook most likely took every last morsel."

"Not this time. We saved some for you."

"Thank you. Oh, I owe you a story about this festivity."

Euphemia was guided to the table where Rook was found looking at places in the city center. It felt that he was brought back to an earlier time in the city; the only hints that reminded him otherwise were some of the machinery used in cooking – and the random automobile that was seen passing around the area. The cleric sat at the innermost seat of the three, where the wooden fence separating the dining area from the rest of the city center was behind her.

Another course was served: a rather modest helping of cabbage rolls with a few slabs of meat drenched in brown sauce. Euphemia started talking after she took her first few bites:

"This is called the Evening of the Defense, which doesn't hide what this is for. It's to remember the men and women who held off waves of invading monsters using artifacts. The towers of this city are giant examples of the old machines."

"You mean this city was... a fortress back in the Age of Monsters?"

"Yes, Kirk. The towers used to create a wall of energy that held off the creatures until the armies were able to regroup and push them back."

"And I thought the Age of Monsters was an elaborate fairy tale written in history books."

"Many of the old empires' buildings were preserved in this country, Kirk." Euphemia gulped tea from a cup before continuing. "It is something that Kriemreichers have always been proud of achieving."

"Wow." Rook's eyes were now on the outlines of Luminberg's towers. "Do you think we can see them working again?"

"The city government has been on that for years now. My mother knows it quite well, but even she had not the slightest idea of what is happening." Euphemia helped herself with another roll and part of a slab of meat.

The stage in front of Luminberg's administrative seat came to life; lights from above and around turned on and made an outline of Brillanz in dark, orange shades. There was a slight screech that came out of black boxes placed under the platform. A graying man in long, flowing robes took the stage; the lights made his silver hair to a shade of whitish gray. He spoke:

"Thank you, citizens and visitors, for taking part in the Evening of the Defense. For almost four hundred years, we have remembered the efforts and sacrifices of the brave men and women of this city that made this nation possible. This year, we invite you to witness the greatest, most spectacular result of our collective efforts. What you will see here is a story that you will pass on to your sons, and to their sons as well..."

Euphemia held her temples and took her eyes off the stage. Was it the lights? They were bright, much brighter than the average Blaurosen street lamp, but she had been used to even stronger-glowing devices before looking at them never caused her eyes, or her other senses, to go out of line. The sensation seemed to have made the voices of the cheering crowd become ragged moans; music that was played around her became slow, low notes. She dropped the half-eaten cabbage roll to her plate. Rook took notice of this by grabbing her arm before asking:

"Are you okay Euphemia?"

"Hey, you're all right, Sister?" Kirk's attention peeled away from the euphoria as he watched Rook check on the cleric.

"No Rook, something is–" Euphemia righted her senses. She missed most of the speaker's message but was able to clearly hear the next few words.

"... I present to you, the rebirth of the old pride of Luminberg: The Wizards' Wall!"

A trail of colored sparks flew from the walls at the edges of the city; streaks of brilliant red, blue yellow and green marked the sky in lines before merging into shapes of flowers. Fountains of sparks fell and faded into the air. Euphemia couldn't help but stare at the city's northwest tower while her companions took delight in the patterns brought above their heads.